


Christmas Roadtrip

by bookworm2017



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Kissing, Loneliness, M/M, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-19 12:29:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17001687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm2017/pseuds/bookworm2017
Summary: Roman is a broadway star who lives in Florida with his husband Logan and their son Thomas. Roman is trapped in New York on the day before Christmas Eve because a snow storm has cancelled all flights for the next week. He crashes in his New York apartment resigned to a lonely Christmas. Then Logan crams all the Christmas decorations into their car with Thomas and drives to New York to surprise him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt i got on my tumblr last year and i loved it so much but didn't have a chance to get to it, so here we are! I hope you enjoy!   
> Also posted to my tumblr @sanders-specs

“Thomas? Thomas, where are you?” Logan called, poking his head into each of the rooms in their house. His son wasn’t in his room, nor was he in the living room or kitchen. 

Down the hall, Logan noticed a door cracked open. He walked over to it and started to pull it open, but a shrill voice stopped him. “No! don’t look!”   
Logan froze, frowning. “Thomas, what are you doing in the attic?” 

“I’m wrapping your’s and Papa’s Christmas presents!” Thomas called back down. “You can’t see! It’s a surprise.” 

Logan chuckled, shaking his head. “Well if you don’t want to talk to Papa then I’ll leave you alone…” Logan turned to walk away, but in no time, he heard footsteps running down the stairs of the attic. A moment later, Thomas burst through the door, his face alight. There was a bow stuck to his face, and some tape scattered on his clothes, but he didn’t seem to notice or care. 

Logan followed him to the living room, where the laptop was already set up. Logan had just barely reached him before Thomas was clicking on the call button.   
“Wait for me, you impatient child,” Logan said, ruffling Thomas’s hair. He sits down on the couch just as Roman’s face popped up. 

“There are the beautiful faces of my son and husband,” Roman said. 

“Hi Papa!” Thomas said, waving excitedly. “I was just wrapping your present, just how you taught me!” 

“Excellent!” Roman exclaimed. “It’s always good to put your practices to work, little prince.” 

Thomas beamed at that, and Logan couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiasm Thomas had. Roman was a never ending supporter of anything creative and as a result, Thomas had one of the biggest imaginations Logan had ever known. Logan wouldn’t be surprised if the presents Thomas was wrapping didn’t have some…interesting methods to it. 

“Earth to Logan…” Roman said, and Logan blinked as he came back to the present. Both Roman and Thomas were looking at him curiously. 

“Are you okay Dad?” Thomas asked. 

Logan smiled and brushed some shredded wrapping paper out of Thomas’s hair. “Just got lost in thought for a moment.” He looked over at Roman, who had a soft smile on his lips as he watched them. “What were you saying, Ro?” 

“Hmmm? Oh right,” Roman said, snapping out of his own trance. “I was asking how things where there.” 

“Uncle Patton and Uncle Virgil took me shopping yesterday,” Thomas informed him. “We went to the mall and saw all the big Christmas decorations! They wanted me to go see Santa but…” Thomas blushed and looked down. Logan smiled, putting his hands on Thomas’s shoulders and bring him in for a hug. “I’m not brave enough without you here, Papa,” he muttered. 

Roman looked as if he were about to die from a thousand emotions at once, but at a look from Logan, he cleared his throat and said calmly, “You are brave enough little prince! Santa is no harm to you, and with your dad and uncles there, no one can harm you.” 

Thomas pouted. “But it’s not the same without you.” 

As ridiculous Logan thought it was that Thomas seemed to think that Logan or Patton and Virgil would ever let anything happen to him, he didn’t try to correct his son. He knew that the only reason Thomas refused to see Santa this year was because Roman wasn’t there to take him. It had been their tradition for years, Logan not liking the crowded mall or dozens of other kids. He’d tried to cajole Thomas into going this year, but his son was having none of it. 

“I’m sorry buddy,” Roman said with slumped shoulders. “Next year, we’ll go twice!” 

Thomas’s head tilted a little. “Next year?” 

Logan frowned. “Roman, what are you talking about?” he asked. “There should still be plenty of time to go see Santa by the time you get here.”   
“AH, well,” Roman rubbed the back of his neck, “They’re saying that it’s supposed to snow pretty hard the day I’m supposed to leave. They’re not sure if any flights will be able to go out. Or how long afterward flights will be delayed.” 

It took a moment for those words to sink in for Thomas. “You’re…you’re not going to be home for Christmas?” 

Logan started panicking slightly as tears welled up in Thomas’s eyes, and he could see it mirrored in Roman’s face. “No! I mean, of course I will! I’ll make it to you two if it’s the last thing I do! You know New York this time of the year, you never know what’ll happen!” 

Logan could hear the forced cheer in his voice, the lie behind all of his words. Yes, he did know New York this time of the year, and more often than not, it was covered in snow or freezing rain. He didn’t say anything, though, because the last thing he wanted to do was make the situation worse. 

He could tell that Thomas didn’t believe Roman either, though, because all he did was nod and say, “Okay Papa…I have to go finish wrapping the presents.”   
Roman kept a smile on his face. “Alright buddy, I’ll call later tonight to read you a story, okay?” 

Thomas only nodded and left. Logan watched him leave, and he didn’t say anything until the door to the attic shut behind him. 

“Is he gone?” 

“Yeah.” 

Roman buried his head in his hands, muttering to himself. Logan frowned. “You’re really not going to be able to get here in time for Christmas, are you?”  
“There’s always a chance the weather won’t be as bad as they say it will and I’ll be able to get out of here,” Roman said, but even he sounded doubtful. 

Logan sighed. “Why didn’t you get an earlier flight like I suggested?” 

Roman rolled his eyes. “Fiona scheduled last minute rehearsals, I couldn’t just skip them!” 

Logan held up his hand. “You mean…you picked extra rehearsals over your own family?” 

Roman’s face went pale and he tried to speak again, stumbling over his words. “I…No…I mean,” Roman shook his head. “No, I didn’t. She scheduled them a while ago, and everyone thought that we’d have time, even her! I never mentioned it because I didn’t think that it would be a big deal.” 

“Well, it is Roman.” 

“I know that!” he shook his head. “Lo, honey, please, I hate this as much as you do. The last thing I want to do is spend Christmas away from you and Thomas. I can’t just skip out though. You know as well as I do that we need the money.” 

Logan sighed and crossed his arms. He hated it when Roman was right. 

The money was necessary, though, which was the whole reason Roman was in New York in the first place. They knew that this would run into Christmas, yet Logan had convinced him to take the part anyway. Logan’s teaching job wasn’t exactly paying all of the bills, after all. They’d even kept Roman’s flights back home to a minimum. Logan had even convinced him not to come home for his birthday the month before, as much as Roman had wanted to. He’d been planning on seeing him at Christmas. 

“Lo?” 

Logan blinked and refocused on Roman. He hadn’t realized he’d zoned out again. 

Roman smiled when Logan looked back at him. “I love you.” 

Closing his eyes, Logan sighed. “I love you too.” 

“If I can’t get there for Christmas, I’ll make sure to be there for New Years,” Roman said, his voice soft and reassuring, “promise.” 

Logan nodded, wanting very badly for that to be true. However, he knew that if the weather was going to be bad by Christmas, it wouldn’t be any better by New Years. 

“Hey, I know that look, that’s your overthinking look, that look isn’t allowed in this situation.” 

“You can’t ban a look, Roman.” 

“I can and I did.” Roman crossed his arms and smirked at him. “I gotta get to the theater, I’ll call you tonight?” 

“Yeah, okay.” 

Roman blew him a kiss. “I love you, miss you.” 

“I miss you too.” 

Roman gave him a small smile before ending the call. 

 

Logan sat on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Thomas was fast asleep in bed, a story from his clearly exhausted Papa was the best thing to get him to sleep at a decent time. Logan only wished that it didn’t deprive Roman of even more sleep. His husband was resilient though, and he never missed a bedtime story, not matter what. 

His bedroom was too quiet, too…empty. Roman always made any room he was in light and lively, and without him it was like the entire house was still, waiting for his return. Or maybe that was just Logan missing him too much. Logically he knew that the house could not miss someone, and that this room was the same that it had always been. Patton had explained to him that it was just Logan missing Roman, that it was normal. 

Logan sighed and closed his eyes. It had been exactly 156 days, 8 hours, and 21 minuets since Roman left. He hadn’t been home in nearly three months, and Logan felt his absence more and more every single day. 

“Dad?” 

Logan sat up and swiped at his eyes—when had he started crying?—and looked towards his bedroom door. Thomas stood in the doorway, looking a little bashful. 

“Thomas, what are you doing out of bed? Are you okay?” Logan asked, getting up and walking over to him, assessing him for any injury. 

“M’ fine,” Thomas muttered, rubbing his eyes. “Can I sleep in your bed?” 

Logan let out a breath and gave his son a small smile. “Of course. Are you sure you’re okay though? You haven’t slept in here for a while now.” As he spoke, he picked up Thomas and carried him to the bed, throwing the covers back and tucking him in. Thomas snuggled close to Logan. 

“I miss Papa.” 

Logan sighed and rubbed Thomas’s back. “I miss him too.” 

Thomas looked up at him. “If Papa can’t come here for Christmas, can we go to New York?” 

Startled, Logan peered down at his son. “I…well, I don’t know. If the weather is so bad that even the airport isn’t sending out planes, the roads might be too bad to drive on.” 

“But what if we got there before the snow?” Thomas asked. “We could do that couldn’t we?" 

Logan thought about it for a moment. “Conceivably,” he concedes. “However, there is a matter of…” he hesitated. He didn’t want Thomas to worry about money so early in his life, he didn’t deserve that. “Santa. How will he know that we aren’t home on Christmas Eve?” 

“He’ll know. He’s Santa,” Thomas said, as if this should be obvious. 

“Right, of course,” Logan said, smiling slightly. “I will have to think about it.” 

That seemed to satisfy Thomas enough, because he lied back down and was asleep within moments. 

 

“I just don’t know. I mean, driving all the way to New York?” Logan said to Patton and Vigil the next day. They were all sitting in a café while Thomas was over at his friend Joan’s house. 

“Well Roman might not be able to fly out here, but couldn’t you fly there?” Virgil asked, taking a sip of his coffee. 

“No…I doubt Thomas will be comfortable with flying without Roman. Besides, he’ll be very upset with me if he misses out on Thomas’s first time on a plane.” 

Patton smiled at that. “How sweet.” 

Virgil shook his head. “Have you talked to Roman about this?”

“No. I won’t be able to speak with him again until later tonight.” Logan sighed and sat back in his chair. He’d been thinking about Thomas’s proposal all day, and he’d been hoping that speaking with his friends about it would help to bring some form of clarity to the situation, but they weren’t getting anywhere. “I’m also not sure if we’ll have sufficient funds for the kind of trip Thomas wants.” 

Patton and Virgil exchange a knowing look. “You’ve already figured out how much it’ll cost, haven’t you?” Patton asked. 

“It takes approximately sixteen hours to get from here to New York City. That’s not counting bathroom breaks, food stops, and a possible hotel visit.” 

“Not to mention anything unexpected, like a flat tire, or traffic, or a wreck…” 

Patton put his hand over Virgil’s. “I think we understand what you mean Virge.” 

Virgil shrugged. “Just saying.” 

“Yes, thank you Virgil. My point is, the cost of gas and food alone will be a high consideration. As well as a stop at a hotel, because something tells me that driving there without stopping to rest will not be advisable with a seven year old. Especially if I’m the only one driving.” Logan sighs. “I just don’t see how I can pull it off.” 

“Lo,” Patton said gently, “could you take a moment and stop thinking through all of this logically and think about what’s best for your family? I mean, all Thomas could talk about was everything he wanted to do with Roman once he got home. When I saw him today…it was like someone sucked all the Christmas joy out of him. He needs to have both of you.” 

Logan stared down at his cup. He knew that Patton was right, but…

“I can’t just ignore the costs, Patton,” he said. 

Patton only sighed and looked down at his drink.

 

Later that night, Logan sat alone in his office, going over Thomas’s Christmas list when his phone rang. He smiled when he saw who it was. 

“Well this is quite a pleasant surprise. Though it is rather late, shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Logan said by way of answering. 

“I could say the same to you,” Roman said, his voice soft. “I just…I needed to hear your voice.” 

Logan frowned. “Is everything okay? You sound sad.” 

Roman was silent for a moment, then Logan heard him sniff. “I want to come home.” 

“I…I know you do,” Logan said, gulping. This wasn’t the first time Roman had called Logan completely homesick, though it hadn’t happened in a few months. The first few weeks he was gone, though, Logan got calls nearly every day. 

“Can you just…talk? Please? I don’t care what about, I just want it to feel like…like you’re with me.” 

Logan leaned back and closed his eyes. “Of course. I was just looking over Thomas’s Christmas list…” 

He talked for a long time, about Thomas, about Patton and Virgil, about anything that came to Logan’s mind. Every now and again he could hear Roman sniffle or laugh, but for the most part he stayed silent. Logan kept talking until he was sure that Roman was asleep. 

“I think you’re asleep,” he said, “so I’m going to go. Remember that Thomas and I love you very much. We’ll…we’ll see you soon.” 

He was about to hang up when he heard a very softly mumbled “Love you Lo…” 

Logan smiled. “Get some rest. Goodnight.” He hit the end call button and sat back, deep in thought. 

Then he opened a new tab on his computer and started mapping their trip. 

 

“Dad! Dad! We have an emergency!” 

Logan straightened as Thomas came running into his room. “What is it Thomas?” 

“Papa doesn’t have any Christmas decorations!” Thomas exclaimed, looking as if this was the most disastrous thing in the world. 

“What do you mean?” Logan asked. 

Thomas huffed. “I was talking to him and showing him my ornament that I made in class and I asked him where his decorations where and he said that he didn’t have any!” 

“Okay, Thomas, first, take a breath.” Logan said, worried about his son passing out on him. 

Thomas did as he was told, and Logan sat down on his bed next to his suit case. “So, Papa doesn’t have any decorations at all?” 

Thomas shook his head. “He said that he didn’t think he’d need them.” 

Logan thought for a moment. “Well…Perhaps we should take ours.” 

His son’s eyes lit up. “Really?” 

“Well, they do belong to us, and we never did finish decorating all the way since we were waiting for him to get home,” Logan said, reasoning it out in his own head. “I think that it will make him very happy too.” 

Thomas started jumping up and down. “You mean it Dad, you mean it?” 

Logan chuckled. “Go start packing them up. I’ll be with you momentarily.” 

Thomas grinned and ran out to the living room. Logan smiled as he watched him before he got up to finish packing. 

They were leaving the next day to drive to New York. Logan was expecting it to take at least two days, though if there were no unexpected surprises, then perhaps they could make it in a day and half. He’d made Thomas promise not to say anything to Roman, wanting to surprise him. It had been hard for Logan not to say anything, though, as Roman seemed to get more and more upset every day that the skies in New York darken and the threat of snow grows closer, making the weather prediction accurate. They were already talking about flights being cancelled until after Christmas. 

Logan just hoped that they were able to make it in time before the roads got too bad. Living in Florida meant that Logan wasn’t exactly the best at driving in the snow. 

“Daaad! I can’t reach the star!” 

Logan laughed softly to himself and shook his head as he went to help his son before he ended up breaking anything. 

 

By the time the next morning rolled around, they had the car packed. Between Thomas’s and Logan’s suitcases, all their Christmas decorations (including the fake tree), and the presents, there was hardly any more room. Logan only hoped that they wouldn’t somehow come home with more than they left with.   
Once Logan closed the back hatch to the car firmly shut, he turned to Thomas, who looked like he was more than ready to go. “Alright, go inside and use the bathroom before we leave. I want to drive a substantial distance from here before we need to stop.” 

Thomas just said, “Okay!” and ran back inside. 

Logan sighed and leaned against the car. A part of him couldn’t believe that he was about to do this, but he figured that Patton was right. He needed to think about what was best for his family. Besides, he couldn’t stand both of his boys being so upset. If Logan was being honest with himself, though, he wanted this just as much as Thomas did. 

Suddenly he heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. He opened his eyes and looked around, slightly surprised to see Patton and Virgil stepping out of their car. 

“What are you two doing here?” Logan asked as he straightened up and walked over to them. 

“Well, we couldn’t let you just leave without us,” Patton said. 

It was then that Logan saw that they were toting a rather large suitcase. “I wasn’t aware that you were accompanying us,” Logan said. 

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Look, you said it yourself that you weren’t sure you could make the trip driving by yourself. We’re here to help you out.” 

“And help pay for gas!” Patton exclaimed. “And watch Thomas, of course.” 

“I…I can’t let you do that,” Logan said. 

“Sure you can,” Virgil said, lugging the bag over to the car. “Trust me, we’re doing this for Thomas’s sake. I’ve seen you sleep deprived and living solely off of coffee, and there’s no way I’m trusting you behind the wheel like that. Especially not with Thomas in the car.” 

Logan rolled his eyes, but he offered his friends a small smile. “Thank you,” he muttered. 

Patton gave him a tight hug. “We knew you wouldn’t ask us directly, so we just figured if we showed up you wouldn’t have a choice.” 

“You’re not supposed to tell him that, Pat!” Virgil exclaimed. 

“Oops,” Patton said with a small shrug, which only made Virgil smile and shake his head. 

“Uncle Patton! Uncle Virgil!” Thomas’s voice came from the house as he ran out and right into Patton’s arms. “What are you doing here?” 

“We’re going to come with you!” Patton said. 

“Yeah, we’re going to make sure your dad doesn’t lose his mind driving for so long,” Virgil said, walking over to ruffle Thomas’s hair. 

Thomas’s face lit up as he grinned. “Yay! All of our family will be together on Christmas!” 

Logan smiled softly, wondering what he did to deserve such amazing friends and an even greater son. 

“Well, not if we get going. I’ll help you find a place for that bag Virge.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Arizona! How many points is that Dad?” 

“I believe that would be twenty, which brings your total to eighty,” Logan says, smiling slightly. 

“Yes!” Thomas exclaimed and high fived Patton as Virgil groaned. 

“Stupid west coasters,” Virgil muttered, but he was smiling. 

Logan only shook his head. They’d been on the road for a few hours, and it seemed that Patton had prepared a bunch of road trip games to play. Apparently, Logan and Virgil were on one team, and Patton and Thomas were on another. Logan didn’t particularly care for the games, but Thomas was having fun, so he went along with it. 

It was a license plate game where they tried to find cars from all the different states. Cars from states on the East Coast were ten points, since they were bound to be the most common ones. Mid-west states were twenty, and west coast was thirty. Each time a team saw a license plate from one state, they crossed that state off the list and looked for a new one. The point was to see how many points they could earn, but also how many states they could find. 

“Oh! Oh! New York! Dad, that’s where we’re going!” 

“Yes, it is. Also, another ten points.” 

“Great eye kiddo!” Patton exclaimed. 

“Minnesota! Ha!” Virgil shouted, pointing to a car in front of them. 

If he was being honest, Logan was surprised Virgil was as interested into the game as he was. Then again, it was a rather good way to kill time. 

“Where’s that?” Thomas asked. 

“North, we’ll count it as one of the East Coast states,” Logan said. “I’ll show you on a map the next time we stop.” 

“Okay,” Thomas said, and fell quiet. For a while, everyone was silent, presumably looking for more states. At least Logan thought that until he heard his son’s voice again. 

“Dad?” 

“Yes Thomas?” Logan asked. 

“Papa won’t be mad that we’re coming to him, is he?” 

A little startled at the question, Logan glances first at Virgil, then Patton. “Uh, well, I would hope not. He seemed very upset that he couldn’t come home for Christmas. I imagine he’ll be very happy.” 

“Okay,” he said, but Logan could still hear an edge in his voice. Sure enough, after another few moments, he spoke up again. “But what if he didn’t want to come home? What if he wanted to stay in New York?” 

“Thomas,” Logan said gently, “I can understand where your fears are coming from, but I’m sure that Papa will be very happy to see us. He loves us.”   
In the rearview mirror, Logan saw Patton reach over and squeeze Thomas’s hand. 

“Look!” Thomas exclaimed after a moment. “Mississippi! Ten points!” 

 

Logan pulled into the rest stop and parked the car before turning around to look at Thomas. “Stay with one of us okay? And you can have one thing from the vending machine.” 

“Okay Dad!” Thomas said, getting out. Logan got out as well, stretching. They’d been driving six hours at that point, with only one other stop, so he was eager to walk around for a bit. 

“I’m gonna head to the bathroom, want to come with me Thomas?” Virgil asked. 

“Yeah!” Thomas said, taking Virgil’s out stretched hand and walking with him to the building. Logan watched them for a moment before turning to go towards the vending machines. 

“How are you doing?” Patton asked, catching up with Logan easily. 

“I’m very exhausted. I’m eager to take a nap,” Logan told him honestly. He and Virgil were switching spots for a few hours before they stopped at a hotel. Logan would keep going if he could, but even he had to admit that he really needed some sleep. 

Patton chuckled. “You look it. I meant about what Thomas said earlier.” 

“Oh. That.” Logan sighed. “I don’t know, honestly. The thought hadn’t even occurred to me. Roman seemed genuinely upset about being stuck up there, and I feel that I would know if he were lying.” 

Patton nodded along and stared down at the ground. “I think he’s just worried. He hasn’t seen Roman in months, it’s probably just that. He’s a little nervous to see him again.” 

“Why would he? Roman is his father.” 

Patton gave him a small smile. “Yeah, but it’s always a little nerve wracking to see someone for the first time in a long time, you know? Exciting, but also a little scary.” 

“I suppose. I’d never thought about that before. I’m simply excited to see him,” Logan said. 

Patton rolled his eyes. “Of course you are, but isn’t there a part of you that’s just a little afraid?” 

Logan thought for a moment. “Perhaps, but the excitement far outweighs it.” 

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Patton said, a little absentmindedly. “Thomas just needs to see him to be reassured.”

“He will soon.” 

Patton smiled. “And in the meantime, we’ll try to keep him distracted with games. Long car rides are always the best place to think, which isn’t always a good thing.” 

“I suppose that’s why Virgil is very into these little games?” Logan asked. 

“Yep,” Patton grinned. “He likes to distract himself. Driving is good for him too.” 

“Dad!” 

Logan and Patton turned to see Thomas running towards them, Virgil not far behind. Logan smiled at his son, holding out his hand for Thomas to hold onto. 

“Hungry?” Logan asked. 

“Starving!” Thomas said, even though he’d already eaten half the snacks they’d brought with them (with some help from Patton). 

“Well come on, let’s see what kind of snacks they have here.” 

 

Virgil pulled into the parking spot outside their motel room. “Alright, rise and shine everyone, let’s get inside.” 

Logan groaned as he sat up, rubbing his neck. He’d been sleeping for the past couple of hours, and in that time, the sky had darkened and the only light came from the headlights from the cars around them. 

Suddenly, Logan’s phone rang. The sudden noise made everyone in the car jump. 

“Sh—I mean, oh no, it’s Roman!” Logan said, his husband’s smiling face looking up at him. 

“Well answer it!” Patton said. 

“He wants to video chat! I can’t let him see the stuff in the back,” Logan said. 

“It’s dark Logan, just answer it! He’ll be suspicious—and sad—if you don’t.” 

Logan sighed but hit the answer button. “Hey love,” Logan said. 

“Hi…wha…Logan? Where are you? I can’t see you.” Roman said, his grin turning into a confused frown. 

“Oh, uh, hold on, I’m in the car at the moment,” Logan said. He flipped on a light, turning slightly so that the only thing in the back ground was the seat and a reflection from the window. 

“The car? This late? Where were you?” Roman asked. 

“Oh, Patton and Virgil treated Thomas and I to a movie night at the theater. The film was longer than we anticipated.” Logan quickly glanced at the time to make sure his lie wasn’t entirely unbelievable. It was only ten, so he figured that he could pull it off. 

“Hi Roman!” Patton said. 

“Oh, hello!” Roman said. “Where’s Thomas?” 

“He’s asleep in the back seat,” Logan explained, seeing that their son was, in fact, fast asleep and leaning against Patton. 

“Aw,” Roman’s face fell a little. “I was hoping I’d catch him before he went to bed…I figured I could tell him some Christmas stories.” 

Logan smiled softly. “I’m sorry. Perhaps tomorrow night? I will make sure that he gets at least one story from you before he falls asleep.” 

Roman smiled back and chuckled. “Not if it makes him stay up too late…” 

“He’d stay up all night for one of your stories,” Logan said, “you know that.” 

“You flatter me,” Roman said, rolling his eyes. He had a pleased smile on his face, though, and Logan knew how much the compliment meant to him. 

“Hey, as cute as this is, I’m tired as hell—” 

“Virgil! Language!” 

“—and I’d really like to get some sleep.” 

“I guess I should let you go...” Roman said, looking rather sad. 

“I am also quite exhausted. Though I would like to spend more time on the phone with you. Give me a few minuets to get Thomas inside and in bed, alright?”   
Roman smiled. “Yeah, of course. Tell him I love him.” 

“Of course.” 

“Bye Roman! Stay warm up there,” Patton said. 

Roman laughed and shook his head. “I will Pat, I promise. Goodnight. And goodnight purple nightmare.” 

“Yeah yeah.” 

Logan smiled as he ended the call, then he stretched. “I think that went well.” 

“Yeah, whatever, let’s just get inside and go to sleep,” Virgil said, opening the door. 

Exchanging exasperated looks, Logan and Patton followed. 

 

“Dad! Dad! It’s snowing!” 

Logan shut his eyes tighter before squinting over at Thomas, who was shaking him excitedly. “It’s snowing, it’s snowing, it’s snowing!” 

Rubbing his eyes, Logan sat up and looked towards the window. There was, in fact, white flakes coming down from the sky. Thomas got down from the bed and ran over to the window to pull the curtains back more, making Virgil hiss. 

“Hey, it’s too early for light.” 

“Oh hush, he’s excited,” Patton said, already awake and ready to go. 

Virgil just groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. 

Logan sighed and sat up fully, pulling out his phone. Indeed, the snow storm seem to have hit earlier than expected. It still had a few hours before things got bad, though. He calculated in his head for a moment and figured that if they moved quickly, they’d be able to get to New York before the storm got too bad.

“Alright, Virgil get up, we’ve gotta go.” 

“Duuude just let me sleep,” Virgil grumbles. 

“If we want to make it to New York in a timely manner, we need to leave soon,” Logan said, already pulling out a new set of clothes from his backpack. 

“Will we be able to get to Papa?” Thomas asked. 

“Yes, Thomas, I will make sure of it,” Logan said, just as his phone dinged. He unlocked it to find a picture from Roman’s apartment window, showing a similar sight as what was outside the motel window. 

Roman: Snow hit early :( guess it’s for sure now 

Logan: I’m sorry love. We will try to make the most of it 

Roman: Have you been around Patton too much? 

Logan: It’s possible. 

Roman: Good. Can I call and talk to Thomas? 

Logan: Yes, of course

Roman: <3

Logan: Dork

Roman: <3 

Logan: <3 

Five hours later, Thomas was asleep in the back seat, this time with Virgil keeping him company. Patton was driving and Logan was dozing, trying to keep himself awake by listening to his favorite podcast. He was just starting to doze off, though, when he heard Patton gasp. 

“Hey guys, we made it!” he exclaimed. 

Logan took the earbuds out of his ears and sat up. Sure enough, there were skyscrapers in the distance, a sign directing them to New York City moving above them as they passed under it. 

“Hey, Thomas, wake up,” Virgil said from the back. 

“Hmmmm?” Thomas mumbled. 

“Look.” 

Logan looked back at Thomas in time to see his eyes light up in understanding. “We’re here?” He asked, hope in his voice. 

“Not quite,” Logan said, “but we’re almost there.” 

Thomas grinned. 

“Do you have Roman’s address?” Patton asked. 

“Yes, of course. Though be careful, it looks like the snowfall is getting heavier,” Logan warned. “I’d rather be a little off schedule then get into a wreck.” 

“Don’t worry, Lo, I’ve got it under control.” 

Logan just nodded and took a deep breath. 

Almost there. They were almost there. 

 

Roman walked with his shoulders hunched and his head down. The wind was starting to pick up and the snowflakes hit hard against his skin, despite the fact that he tried to cover every inch he could. He was grateful that they’d cancelled rehearsal for the day, though he loathed the fact that he had to walk back to his apartment. The last thing he needed was to lose his voice in the cold. 

Mostly, Roman was just trying not to think about his family. About the fact that he wouldn’t be able to be there for Christmas, to read to Thomas before bed, or to wake up at the crack of dawn to Thomas jumping on their bed and screaming for them to come down stairs immediately. 

Roman shivered, and he tried to push the thoughts away. They wouldn’t do anything except make him feel even lonelier. 

As he neared his apartment building, he heard a group of people arguing. 

“Yes, I’m quite sure that this is the right place.” 

“You didn’t say that you needed a key to get in! Now what are we supposed to do?” 

“We wait in the car.” 

“Because that doesn’t look creepy.” 

Roman sighed. Even complete strangers sounded like his family. Maybe he just needed to go inside and have a long phone call with Logan. That always seemed to cheer him up, at least for a little while.

“Wait, ask that guy, maybe he knows.” 

Oh no, tourist. 

Roman quickened his pace, but there was suddenly a hand on his shoulder. “Excuse me do you think you can—” 

The stranger cut himself off when Roman looked up, and for a moment, Roman was confused until his mind processed who was standing in front of him. Roman pulled down the scarf he’d been using to cover his face. 

“Logan?” 

He grinned, the stupid, careless grin that was only ever reserved for Roman and occasionally Thomas. Then he threw his arms around Roman, who was so surprised that he took a step back to brace himself, making him slip on a piece of ice. The two fell into a snowbank, laughing. 

“What on earth are you doing here?” Roman asked, looking up at Logan with what he knew was a stupid grin that matched his husbands. 

“We decided to surprise you,” Logan said. “So surprise.” 

Roman laughed and kissed Logan like, well, like he hadn’t kissed him in five months. 

“Ewwww.” 

The two chuckled and pulled apart. “IS that my little prince I hear?” Roman asked, sitting up as much as he could with Logan on top of him. 

“Papa!” Thomas yelled and ran to them. Roman held out his free hand and wrapped his boys into a tight hug. 

“Ew it’s cold,” Thomas said after a moment. 

“Yes it is,” Logan said, pushing himself off of Roman and standing up. He helped Thomas to his feet first, then he reached for Roman. 

Once they were all on their feet again, Roman wrapped his arm around Logan’s waist. “You’re here. I can’t believe that you’re here! Wha-how….” Roman shook his head.

Logan chuckled. “It was your sons’ idea,” he said. 

“And what a marvelous idea it was!” Roman exclaims, ruffling Thomas’s hair. 

Thomas looks up at him with big, bright eyes. “It was?” 

“Of course it was.” 

Thomas smiled and hugged Roman’s waist tightly, maybe a little too tightly. Roman only hugged him back and kissed the top of his head.   
“Okay, as sweet as this is, we’re freezing our backends off out here, can we please go inside?” 

Roman looked up. “Ah Virgil, always nice to see you’re bright and happy smile.” 

“Suck it Princey.” 

“Virgil,” Patton said in a chiding tone before smiling at Roman. “Hi Ro.” 

“Hey Pat. And Dr. Gloom is right, we should get inside,” Roman said, noting how Thomas was starting to shiver. “Come on.”


End file.
